As a long time BASHER of Lackey, from the minute I saw the "3 Horsemen" take their perp walk in ST his first year, I couldn't stand the guy from the word go. I knew he was bad news for this team, & I was VERY VOCAL in saying so that ST. I know he is universally hailed as a "GREAT TEAMMATE" by 99% of his past & present teammates, as he sounds like one hell of a nice guy. Unfortunately, everything I've seen so far tells me he "LEADS" in all the wrong ways. Nice guys don't always make good leaders. Keeping guys loose is not always a good thing. I firmly believe his form of keeping guys loose leads them to apathy & failure. AT LEAST SO FAR!!!!!!

Having said all this...... I'm willing to bury the hatchet with Lackey. I'm more than willing to become his biggest fan! If he comes to ST ripped, roaring, & ready to go??? I will love the guy like nobody's business. I love SECOND CHANCES, so I am rooting for the guy to really step it up. I don't really want to hear about the "injury!" Move on! No excuses!!! Just get it done!! Time to put on the big boy pants, buck up, & become the kind of teammate the young guys REALLY NEED! They don't need you to buy them a suit & 10 pitchers, they need to see you work your arrrcs off & do whatever it takes to get back to some semblance of MLB pitching form.

2004 still hurts you, doesn't it. Do you wake up in the middle of the night sweating, checking your ankle to see if it is bleeding? Does Johnny Damon hit those two Game 7 home runs in a Yankee uniform in your nightmares? Do you still wince a little when David Ortiz is standing in the on deck circle, even now? Do you sometimes catch yourself wanting to chant "1918" during a Sox/Yankee game after the Yankees take a lead? It's okay. It'll get better over time. Heckling Red Sox fans on Red Sox message board is all part of the healing.

God, I pray he wakes up! I hope he comes in to ST in great shape! If he's got an ounce of integrity, he will come back RIPPED / in great pitching shape, wanting to make up for the past. Start a new & final chapter here in Boston. Show fans that he actually has the goods, but really did suffer a crippling injury that WAS THE cause for his pathetic pitching! Come back with a new, revitalized, competative, no excuses, no bs, no hard drinking, no embarrassing his teammates, quasi-leadership role mentality. If he's got an ounce of pride and intelligence he will do all of those things. Otherwise, if he comes in soiling the bed as I suspect he will, he will get ripped to shreds by RSN. And thoroughly deserve it!

So....... Predictions?

Realistically, I think he has about a 4.90 ERA, with a 6 - 7 record by the mid-summer classic.

Still..... Praying for about a 4.00 ERA with a 8 - 4 record

What say you?

(cue the big dog triumph with nothing more than a cursory snide comment. Not much substance there :)

God, I pray he wakes up! I hope he comes in to ST in great shape! If he's got an ounce of integrity, he will come back RIPPED / in great pitching shape, wanting to make up for the past. Start a new & final chapter here in Boston. Show fans that he actually has the goods, but really did suffer a crippling injury that WAS THE cause for his pathetic pitching! Come back with a new, revitalized, competative, no excuses, no bs, no hard drinking, no embarrassing his teammates, quasi-leadership role mentality. If he's got an ounce of pride and intelligence he will do all of those things. Otherwise, if he comes in soiling the bed as I suspect he will, he will get ripped to shreds by RSN. And thoroughly deserve it!

So....... Predictions?

Realistically, I think he has about a 4.90 ERA, with a 6 - 7 record by the mid-summer classic.

Still..... Praying for about a 4.00 ERA with a 8 - 4 record

What say you?

(cue the big dog triumph with nothing more than a cursory snide comment. Not much substance there :)

I think he might come out of the gates a little slow, which is to be expected. But I can also see 12-14 wins, around 10 losses and an ERA around 4.25...

God, I pray he wakes up! I hope he comes in to ST in great shape! If he's got an ounce of integrity, he will come back RIPPED / in great pitching shape, wanting to make up for the past. Start a new & final chapter here in Boston. Show fans that he actually has the goods, but really did suffer a crippling injury that WAS THE cause for his pathetic pitching! Come back with a new, revitalized, competative, no excuses, no bs, no hard drinking, no embarrassing his teammates, quasi-leadership role mentality. If he's got an ounce of pride and intelligence he will do all of those things. Otherwise, if he comes in soiling the bed as I suspect he will, he will get ripped to shreds by RSN. And thoroughly deserve it!

So....... Predictions?

Realistically, I think he has about a 4.90 ERA, with a 6 - 7 record by the mid-summer classic.

Still..... Praying for about a 4.00 ERA with a 8 - 4 record

What say you?

(cue the big dog triumph with nothing more than a cursory snide comment. Not much substance there :)

I think he might come out of the gates a little slow, which is to be expected. But I can also see 12-14 wins, around 10 losses and an ERA around 4.25...

12 - 14 wins by the mid-summer classic? Seriously? Or do you mean by season's end?

If he got 12 - 14 by mid-season I would be extatic!!! :) No way that happens!

God, I pray he wakes up! I hope he comes in to ST in great shape! If he's got an ounce of integrity, he will come back RIPPED / in great pitching shape, wanting to make up for the past. Start a new & final chapter here in Boston. Show fans that he actually has the goods, but really did suffer a crippling injury that WAS THE cause for his pathetic pitching! Come back with a new, revitalized, competative, no excuses, no bs, no hard drinking, no embarrassing his teammates, quasi-leadership role mentality. If he's got an ounce of pride and intelligence he will do all of those things. Otherwise, if he comes in soiling the bed as I suspect he will, he will get ripped to shreds by RSN. And thoroughly deserve it!

So....... Predictions?

Realistically, I think he has about a 4.90 ERA, with a 6 - 7 record by the mid-summer classic.

Still..... Praying for about a 4.00 ERA with a 8 - 4 record

What say you?

(cue the big dog triumph with nothing more than a cursory snide comment. Not much substance there :)

I think he might come out of the gates a little slow, which is to be expected. But I can also see 12-14 wins, around 10 losses and an ERA around 4.25...

12 - 14 wins by the mid-summer classic? Seriously? Or do you mean by season's end?

If he got 12 - 14 by mid-season I would be extatic!!! :) No way that happens!

God, I pray he wakes up! I hope he comes in to ST in great shape! If he's got an ounce of integrity, he will come back RIPPED / in great pitching shape, wanting to make up for the past. Start a new & final chapter here in Boston. Show fans that he actually has the goods, but really did suffer a crippling injury that WAS THE cause for his pathetic pitching! Come back with a new, revitalized, competative, no excuses, no bs, no hard drinking, no embarrassing his teammates, quasi-leadership role mentality. If he's got an ounce of pride and intelligence he will do all of those things. Otherwise, if he comes in soiling the bed as I suspect he will, he will get ripped to shreds by RSN. And thoroughly deserve it!

So....... Predictions?

Realistically, I think he has about a 4.90 ERA, with a 6 - 7 record by the mid-summer classic.

Still..... Praying for about a 4.00 ERA with a 8 - 4 record

What say you?

(cue the big dog triumph with nothing more than a cursory snide comment. Not much substance there :)

Realistic expectations for Lackey by the end of the year: 4.45, 11 wins, 11 losses. Anything better than that from our #5 SP is a bonus.

God, I pray he wakes up! I hope he comes in to ST in great shape! If he's got an ounce of integrity, he will come back RIPPED / in great pitching shape, wanting to make up for the past. Start a new & final chapter here in Boston. Show fans that he actually has the goods, but really did suffer a crippling injury that WAS THE cause for his pathetic pitching! Come back with a new, revitalized, competative, no excuses, no bs, no hard drinking, no embarrassing his teammates, quasi-leadership role mentality. If he's got an ounce of pride and intelligence he will do all of those things. Otherwise, if he comes in soiling the bed as I suspect he will, he will get ripped to shreds by RSN. And thoroughly deserve it!

So....... Predictions?

Realistically, I think he has about a 4.90 ERA, with a 6 - 7 record by the mid-summer classic.

Still..... Praying for about a 4.00 ERA with a 8 - 4 record

What say you?

(cue the big dog triumph with nothing more than a cursory snide comment. Not much substance there :)

Realistic expectations for Lackey by the end of the year: 4.45, 11 wins, 11 losses. Anything better than that from our #5 SP is a bonus.

Probably a very realistic prediction for the entire season. Unfortunately, I think he'll end up over 5.00 ERA. If our bats live up to max expectations, he still could eek out 14 wins, but highly doubtful.

I'm still praying for the highly improbable, where the bats bail him out the entire season, & he picks up a cool 15 wins despite the near 5.00 ERA. :) Fingers crossed!